David Lapan, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, said he could not comment on pending litigation but that “we absolutely believe the searches are lawful.”. In March, Joseph B. Maher, the acting general counsel for the agency, defended the practice in a USA Today opinion piece . “These electronic media searches have produced information used to combat terrorism, violations of export controls, and convictions for child pornography, intellectual property rights violations and visa fraud,” he wrote. “This authority is critical to our mission, and Customs exercises it judiciously.”. While police officers on the street cannot compel you to hand over your phone without probable ca... Full story